1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a record content searching/providing system and method for acquiring contents recorded and/or stored in a memory apparatus. Particularly, the present invention relates to a record content searching/providing system for searching a desired picture content among a large number of recorded picture contents recorded and stored in a memory apparatus.
2. Related Art
Development of digital technology enables to store a large amount of Audio-Visual (AV) data including picture and sound without deterioration. Recently, a hard disc drive (HDD) with several tens of GB, and a memory with a larger capacity becomes available in market with less cost. And a recording apparatus using such a hard disc drive have been introduced to market(for example, see xe2x80x9cRecording devices for recording TV programs on the HDD are introducedxe2x80x9d (Nikkei Electronics, No. 727, pp. 27-28, 1998) or xe2x80x9cDigital recording technology using HDD is introduced for home-usexe2x80x9d (Nikkei Electronics, No. 727, pp. 41-46, 1998)).
The HDD is an device that allows random access to recorded data. Accordingly, unlike conventional video tape player, it is not necessary to replay a recorded program sequentially from the beginning in a recoding/replaying apparatus with the HDD to replay record contents. The HDD recording/replaying apparatus allows to start direct replaying from any points of the recorded programs. On the other hand, it may be more difficult to operate such recording/relaying apparatus for a user if he/she tries to select a particular content from a large number of programs stored in the HDD as a memory capacity of the HDD increases.
In one conventional method for assisting user selection of contents recorded in a recording/replaying apparatus such as VTR, a list containing information regarding content titles and content recording date acquired from an Electric Programming Guide (EPG) may be displayed, and then a user operation for the selection is accepted. In another conventional method, thumbnails relating contents are displayed to assist understanding of the contents. However, in these conventional method, users have to go back to an original display screen for the selection when the users wish to re-select contents, resulting cumbersome content re-selecting operations. Further, the users have to learn operations in the selection screen, becoming burden to the users.
In another conventional method, the contents are categorized beforehand to make the selection of the record contents easier. In another conventional method, the contents are categorized layer by layer. However, deeper the layer becomes, more difficult to identify a category or layer to which the content is located. On the other hand, if the less number of layers are used, a number of contents belong to the same category becomes larger whereby resulting difficulty in searching among the single category.
In another conventional method, the contents are sorted. However, the method with sorting may provide merits unless users are familiar with attributes of contents such as title or recording date by which the sorting is executed. If a number of the contents were to increase further, burden of users becomes larger.
In a conventional computer system, an application program that can handle a data file of concern is selected and activated first. The data file can be selected within an application window. Or a data file of concern can be browsed by selecting the data file on a display screen to activate a corresponding application if data files and application programs that can activate the data files are pre-registered. In both cases, the data file of concern or the corresponding application program may be selected on a display screen of Graphical User Interface (GUI) by using a coordinate indicating device such as mouse or a cursor key.
However, if such GUI operational technology commonly used in the conventional computer system were to introduced into a TV apparatus or other types of AV devices, additional devices will be required for selecting the application program or the data file, whereby resulting an increase of total device cost. Further, for users who are not familiar with operations of the computer system, it is necessary to learn totally new operations, and may deteriorate operability of the apparatus.
The content selecting operation may be viewed, in one aspect, as similar operation to channel selecting operation in a TV receiver. In a conventional TV receiver, the channel selection is made by operating up/down (+/xe2x88x92) keys and/or numeral keys of a remote controller. Further, the remote controller has additional keys separated from the channel selection keys for controlling VTR functions such as fast forward, rewind, skip forward, and skip backward. A number of keys in the remote controller may be required to increase if functions and commands of the TV receiver were to expand and a new key were to be assigned for each of the functions and commands. Further, there is a remote controller that uses a cross-shaped key to assign several functions to single key. However, such conventional cross-shaped key is not used to select channel nor to advance/retreat a replaying position.
An object of the present invention is to provide a record content searching/providing system and method that enable to acquire contents recorded and stored in a memory apparatus.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a record content searching/providing system and method that enable user-friendly content search operation from a number of contents recorded and stored in a memory apparatus.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a record content searching/providing system and method that enable to search record contents using operations similar to operations used in a conventional TV receiver.
According to a first aspect of the present invention, a record content searching/providing system and method for searching a record content from a randomly accessible memory apparatus storing a plurality of contents, and for providing the record content to a user. The system/method comprises: content classification means/step classifying record contents of the memory apparatus in accordance with a predetermined rule; channel assignment means/step assigning a virtual channel to each classification; content arrangement means/step arranging the record contents classified into the same classification on the corresponding virtual channel; user operation receiving means/step receiving a user operation for commanding channel selection and content search on a channel; and content providing means/step acquiring a record content from a selected virtual channel in response to the user operation received via the user operation receiving means/step and providing the acquired record content.
For example, the record content may be image data of picture content such as programs broadcasted from various broadcasting stations.
The content arrangement means/step may dispose the record contents on the virtual channel along a time axis in accordance with their presentation sequence. Here, the content providing means/step may acquire the record content from a position which is moved along the time axis for a time period corresponding an operation amount of the content search operation on the virtual channel selected by the user operation receiving means/step.
The user operation receiving means/step may include a first command means/step commanding an amount of operation in a first direction and a second command means/step commanding an amount of operation in a second direction. Here, the content providing means/step specifies a virtual channel in accordance with the operation amount in the first direction by the first commanding means/step, and specifies a record content on the virtual channel in accordance with the operation amount in the second direction by the second commanding means/step.
Alternatively, the user operation receiving means may comprise a cross-shaped key. In this case, the first direction movement may be assigned to a moving key of up/down directions, and the second direction to a moving key of right/left directions. According to an example of this case, a user may conduct a content search operation intuitionally on a program schedule chart extending up/down/left/right in a two dimensional plane with using up/down/left/right cursor keys.
Further, the second commanding means/step may be configured to accept a press-in operation executed by a user. Here, the content providing means/step may acquire a record content from a position that is moved along the time axis of the virtual channel for an amount of the press-in time executed by the second commanding means/step. For example, the content providing means/step moves a providing position within the same record content which is being presented if the press-in operating time by the second commanding means/step is less than a predetermined value (for example, scene movement/change in the recorded program which is being replayed), and moves a providing position among the record contents if the press-in operating time is not less than the predetermined value (for example, movement to another recorded program before or after).
The content searching/providing system or method according to the first aspect of the present invention may further comprise receiving means/step receiving broadcast program content that is being broadcasted from one or a plurality of broadcasting stations. In an example of this case, the user operation receiving means/step may be able to accept the channel selection operation regardless of channel types (virtual channel or real channel) by assigning real channels to broadcasting stations receivable with the channel assigning means/step. Further, the content providing means/step may provide the broadcast program content or the record content. The broadcast content is a content currently being broadcasted on the real channel that is selected in response to the user operation executed via the user operation receiving means/step. The record content is a content acquired from the virtual channel that is selected in response to the user operation executed via the user operation receiving means/step.
The user operation receiving means/step may include a set of numeral keys for specifying a channel number. In an example of this case, a part of available channels corresponding to the broadcasting stations may be assigned as the real channels. The rest of available channels that are not used for the real channels may be assigned to the virtual channels. Further in this example, the content providing means/step may acquire the content from the real channel or the virtual channel corresponding to a numeral key specified by the user operation receiving means/step.
The content classification means/step may classify or filter the record contents in accordance with user preferences or profile information. Further, the content arrangement means/step may determine the providing sequence or a priority of the record content on the virtual channel in accordance with user preferences or profile information.
The memory apparatus may store multimedia contents including multimedia data and its replay application programs in addition to the picture contents including recording data of broadcasted programs. In an example of this case, the channel assignment means/step may assign the virtual channel to each replay application program. The content arrangement means/step may dispose the multimedia data on the virtual channel to which the replay application program is assigned in accordance with sequence of replay by the replay application program. Further, the content providing means/step may activate the replay application program and replay the multimedia data in response to the selection of the multimedia data on the virtual channel to which the replay application program is assigned.
The multimedia content may comprise multimedia data, meta-data, and its replay application programs. In an example of this case, the channel assignment means/step may assign the virtual channel to each replay application program. The content arrangement means/step may dispose pairs of multimedia data and meta-data on the virtual channel to which the replay application program is assigned in sequence of replay by the replay application program. Further, the content providing means/step may activate the replay application program and replay the pairs of multimedia data and meta-data in response to the selection of the pair of multimedia data and meta-data on the virtual channel to which the replay application program is assigned.
The content providing means/step may start replaying of pre-recorded default multimedia data and meta-data without waiting further input as in a default operation mode in response to the selection of the multimedia content on the virtual channel to which the replay application program is assigned.
In general, no record is recorded on the memory apparatus when the apparatus is shipped from a factory or purchased. When a channel is selected for the first time, a screen of static state waiting for user input is displayed. Display of such screen may give odd feeling to a user who is only familiar with channel switching operations in a typical TV receiver. By providing dynamic state of content including moving pictures as default data, the user is assured of natural feeling in the channel switching operation.
The content providing means/step may re-start the content presentation from a point of time that is moved for an amount of actual time passed in the virtual channel when the virtual channel is re-selected after switching to the other channel. Or the content providing means/step may re-start the content presentation from a point of time wherein the switching to the other channel was made when the virtual channel is re-selected after switching to the other channel.
The content providing means/step may display a replay start time and/or a replaying time and/or a mark indicating a replaying position for each program of each virtual channel (see FIG. 16). A user may recognize his/her own viewing status or progress of schedule on the virtual channel visually and intuitionally.
According to a second aspect of the present invention, a software memory medium storing computer readable software described so as to control a computer system to execute a content searching/providing processing for searching a record content from a randomly accessible memory apparatus storing a plurality of contents and for providing the record content to a user, or a computer readable program for the content searching/providing processing are provided. The software (program) may comprise: content classification step classifying the record contents of said memory apparatus in accordance with a predetermined rule; channel assignment step assigning a virtual channel to each classification; content arrangement step arranging the record contents classified into the same classification on the corresponding virtual channels; user operation receiving step receiving a user operation for commanding channel selection and content search on a channel; and content providing step acquiring a record content from a selected virtual channel in response to the user operation received in said user operation receiving step and providing the record content.
The software memory medium in accordance with the second aspect of the present invention may be a medium that provide computer software in computer readable format to a general type computer system executable of various program codes. Specifically, the medium may be a portable medium that can be inserted/removed, such as a compact disc (CD), a flexible disc (FD), a magneto-Optical disc (MO).
The software in accordance with the second aspect of the present invention may be installed into a computer system having a CPU and a memory via a software memory medium and its drive mechanism or a transmission medium such as a wired or wireless network.
The same functions and effects of the content searching/providing system or method may be realized by installing the software of the present invention and executing the installed software.
In the content searching/providing system and method in accordance with the present invention, the record contents are classified, and the virtual channel is assigned to each classification. On each virtual channel, the contents are disposed along actual or virtual time axis. Accordingly, the record content may be arrayed in a two dimensional plane where the virtual channel is scaled in vertical axis and the time is scaled in horizontal axis. In other words, arbitrary record content may be specified by addressing in two directions of up/down and left/right. Further, a user may be easily select a content from various classifications using familiar selecting channel operations used in a TV receiver by assigning cursor movement operations of up/down and left/right directions to channel selection and movement on time axis of the channel, respectively.
Further, an auto or manual program scheduling means may be provided by treating the contents belonging to the classifications as programs broadcasted on the virtual channels. In this example, replaying sequence of the programs on the virtual channels from past to future may be defined, and the contents belong to the same category may be mapped on the time axis. Accordingly, various operations such as stopping the content that is being replayed or searching beginning of content scheduled before or after the current content or starting the replay on each virtual channel by executing moving operation in the time axis direction. This may be analogous to user""s selecting a program scheduled to be broadcasted past, present and future in accordance with a broadcasting schedule set by broadcasting stations while the user imagining a TV program list shown in a newspaper in his/her head. Such content searching process may be easily understandable for ordinarily TV users, and operations for the process may be easily learned.
For example, the cross-shaped key used in a conventional remote controller or a video player may be employed by assigning operations for up/down and left/right directions in the cross-shaped key to the channel selection and the movement on the time axis, respectively. In such example, a user may make the channel selection and the content selection on the virtual channel swiftly and easily by using a finger to operate the cross-shaped key while keep watching the TV screen. The content selection using the cross-shaped key may be done faster and easier comparing a case where the selection is made from a content list.
A program schedule defining replaying sequence of the contents in each classification (each virtual channel) may be automatically generated in accordance with data indicating user preference or user profile. For example, the content that a user is interested or the content of higher importance may be assigned a higher priority, and the replaying sequence of the contents may be determined accordingly. Or the contents of higher importance may be scheduled in so called golden time where higher view possibility of users is expected. Accordingly, a user may not be disappointed even if the record content is viewed as scheduled by using the present invention.
Features and effects of the present invention are well presented not only in searching particular content from the large memory apparatus but also in replaying a large number of contents that are recorded and very rare to be replayed. According to the content searching/providing system and method of the present invention, a new type of entertainment, which can not be expected from a conventional TV receiver or VTR apparatus, such as finding interesting content by accident may be provided to a user.
For example, a virtual program schedule for the virtual channels may be produced by defining a pair of meta-data and multimedia data handled by an application program as one virtual program. In such example, operations similar to the program selection operations for the virtual channel having a plurality of record contents disposed along the time axis as described above may be employed to select the meta-data or the multimedia data. Accordingly, it is not necessary for a user to learn new operational procedure to select the meta-data or the multimedia data using the active application program. Further, a user, who is not familiar with the computer or information processing technology such as the application program, the meta-data, the multimedia data, may be able to use services provided by the content searching/providing system without much trouble.
The virtual programs comprising the application program and the meta-data or the multimedia data are executed interactively, and replaying time of the virtual program is not constant in many cases. Accordingly, the virtual program schedule only specifies an order of replay presentation but not the replaying time. In such a case, the content replay may be re-started from a point of time, a state and a position of just before the channel switching when the same channel is re-selected after a certain period (or unspecified period) of time has passed since switching to the other channel. Accordingly, a user may be able to switch the channel without having much trouble, and to view various contents by switching operation.